Conor McGregor ‘almost back’ in UFC action after broken leg – July fight on the cards? | MMA News

Conor McGregor says he is “almost back” and is aiming to return to the UFC Octagon in July as he steps up his recovery from a broken leg.

McGregor’s competitive future was in doubt after he suffered the injury during a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021, but the Irishman fully expects to resume his career.

McGregor, in attendance at Friday’s Bellator 275 in Dublin, told Severe MMA: “Day-by-day, I feel better. They’re telling me to take it easy, but I feel I can go. I feel like I need to pull the reins back on my own self, so that’s kind of what I’m doing… I’m happy with it. I’m almost back and that’s it.”

The 33-year-old believes he can be back in sparring by April, with the UFC’s annual International Fight Week on July 2 in Las Vegas a potential return date.

McGregor hinted if Charles Oliveira held off his UFC lightweight championship defense against Justin Gaethje in May, the pair could fight in the July defence.

“Maybe if your man [Oliveira] is wise, he might give it another month or two,” McGregor said. “July seems OK to me. I can’t say, too early. But July, if I’m sparring April, May, June, July, I could slap the head off most of these guys at the end of April, do you know what I’m saying? A spar could be a fight.”

McGregor suffered back-to-back defeats by Poirier in 2021, moving down to No 9 in the lightweight rankings, but the Irishman insists there should be more respect on his name, and believes other fighters are mimicking his style.

“It’s about time this game starts giving me respect for my different styles of fighting – my ground, my shots downward, my shots upward,” McGregor said. “No matter what’s going on with the leg, I scoot into open guard. I’d scoot into open guard. I’d play open guard attacks.

“People are going to give me my respect for all of the facets of my game. Even the downward shots, from bottom, the elbows, the kicks.

“Even since that fight, you see people trying to implement them and make them. It’s not the same. There are levels to this game. The game is going to understand and give me my respect for my multiple facets for my game.

“I’m the double-champ. I went to a different sport. I came back. I know that. I don’t got to prove that.

“It’s just about getting back in and competing and getting myself into pristine condition and getting in and enjoying myself, putting on a show for the fans. That’s it.

“Once I get the leg cleared and I get that feeling when I kick a body, when I step back in and out and get that feel of it, then I’ll be able to gauge time.”